This New York Post chart shows that the already-bloated federal workforce has expanded since the downturn began. And since compensation for federal bureaucrats is twice the average for other workers, it certainly seems like Obama is playing a perverse game of class warfare – particularly since ordinary Americans pay the price when so-called stimulus spending drains money from private capital markets and misallocates resources.

I’m working on a serious blog post about European fiscal developments, but my research on that issue has alerted me to a couple of stories about President Jose Manuel Barroso that cry out for immediate mockery and abuse. Mr. Barroso, for those that don’t follow the exciting world of international bureaucracy, is the President of the European Commission. This is not an elected position (perish the thought of letting voters have a say in such matters!). Instead, he’s the chief bureaucrat of the sprawling Brussels-based euro-bureaucracy. The first story is from the EU Observer, which reports that the European Parliament actually wanted to fine members that didn’t suffer through Barroso’s Castro-esque three-hour speech on the state of the European Union. Amazingly, the MEPs didn’t file a human rights protest against this proposed form of torture, but they did stage an internal revolt and the authorities backed down.

European parliament authorities have bid a hasty retreat from a tentative proposal to fine for non-attendance of today’s State of the Union speech after the idea was met with derision and anger by MEPs. A meeting yesterday (6 September) evening of parliament president Jerzy Buzek and the 14 vice presidents of the EU assembly abandoned an idea to check up on just who was listening to European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso’s speech and the ensuing debate. …The original proposal agreed by the assembly’s political groups late last week envisioned three electronic checks over the three hour slot and a small fine for MEPs whose absence was registered twice. A short debate on the issue before the presidential meeting already showed the way the wind was blowing. UK Liberal MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford called the idea a “massive own goal” adding: “You have damaged the reputation of the European Union and indeed President Barroso.”

Mr. Barroso obviously is not happy about the fact that nobody knows who he is or cares what he has to say, because the next story is from the Telegraph, which reports that Barroso’s staff is being dramatically expanded in an effort to “boost his media and political profile.” But this is not just an example of how international bureaucrats waste taxpayer money. There’s also a very offensive and reprehensible plan to corrupt journalists by paying the expenses of reporters traveling with Europe’s deservedly-invisible chief bureaucrat.

Jose Manuel Barroso, the former Portuguese prime minister, will also have a photographer and television producer available 24 hours a day, as well as the services of a team of four speechwriters to call on at all times, under the new strategy to boost his media and political profile. The new measures to “personalise” his image were revealed in a leaked letter written by Viviane Reding, the Justice Commissioner, who is in charge of EU communications. ….The EU has already come under fire for spending more than €8 million euros on entertaining, “training” and “informing” individual journalists last year, and devoted particular attention to those from Ireland in the run up to that country’s referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. …The package of measures include a team of eight staff to update his website, monitoring and rebuttal of blogs criticising the EU, rapid verbatim transcripts of all the Commission president’s public remarks – and, from next month, a plan to pay the costs of reporters travelling with Mr Barroso or other commissioners to “important meetings abroad”.

When Democrat and Republican candidates for governor in a large state both endorse school vouchers, that doesn’t necessarily mean genuine educational reform will take place, but it surely is a positive sign. If a state like Pennsylvania breaks the grip of the teacher unions and ends the state school monopoly, the impact would be powerful – and nationwide. The Wall Street Journal opines about the meaning of this development and also take a much-deserved shot at Obama, who is phasing out a school choice program in Washington, DC, because he cares more about appeasing unions than helping poor kids get a good education.

Last month, and to widespread surprise, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato came out in support of school vouchers for underprivileged kids. Mr. Onorato said that education “grants”—he avoided the term vouchers—”would give low-income families in academically distressed communities direct choices about which schools their children should attend.” Mr. Onorato’s Republican opponent, state Attorney General Tom Corbett, is also a strong backer of education choice, which means that come November Pennsylvania voters will get to choose between two candidates who are on record in support of a statewide school voucher program. Mr. Onorato, the Allegheny County Executive, adopted his new position at the urging of state lawmaker Tony Williams, a voucher proponent whom he defeated in a May primary. The speculation is that Mr. Onorato, who trails Mr. Corbett in the polls, is looking to attract financial support from pro-voucher businessmen who backed Mr. Williams in the primary. Mr. Onorato could also be responding to the public education reality in Pennsylvania. On state tests last year, only 56% of 11th graders scored proficient in math, and 65% in reading. In Philadelphia, only 48% of public school students read at grade level and 52% reach the standard in math. Clearly, the status quo isn’t working. The Obama Administration, which is phasing out a popular and successful school voucher program in Washington, D.C., at the insistence of teachers unions, refuses to acknowledge that vouchers can play a role in reforming K-12 education.